About Us

Anna Sylvester, RN

she/they | birth, postpartum, sibling care, childbirth education

Anna discovered her passion for birth work in early 2017 after a chance sale of a spinning wheel to a local doula. Intrigued by the idea of supporting families through such a special time, she completed her DONA International birth doula training and attended her first birth soon after. Since then, she has assisted nearly 100 clients with a wide range of birth experiences, from hospital deliveries to home births.

Anna is captivated by the magic of a baby’s first moments and believes every laboring person deserves a dedicated care team. Her commitment to birth work is unwavering, and she is continually inspired by each unique experience.

In 2021, Anna pursued further education to become a Labor & Delivery nurse, graduating in December 2022. She now works at Jefferson Hospital as an RN in Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum and plans to become a Certified Nurse Midwife.

At home in Bethel Park with her boyfriend Adam and their cat Jake, Anna balances her time between supporting clients, managing Boundless Birth’s administrative tasks, teaching childbirth and breastfeeding education, and enjoying her many hobbies. That collection of spinning wheels and looms has somehow expanded since that first sale.

Alyson Thiel, CPD (Cornerstone), CLC

she/her | birth, postpartum, sibling care, childbirth education

Alyson became a birth doula in 2017 after attending the birth of a dear friend. She has since attended dozens of births and became a certified postpartum doula and lactation counselor. After being pregnant during the beginning of the pandemic and having her child in 2021, she became even more passionate about honoring the transition into parenthood and supporting pregnant people through the tender and often isolating moments of pregnancy and postpartum.

She loves being a doula because it gives her the opportunity to collaborate with birthing people and their families in envisioning their birth and parenthood, to uplift them in advocating for their reproductive and mental health, and to validate their feelings, instincts, and celebrations. Every person deserves a supportive companion through the transformative journey of pregnancy, birth, and postpartum. Every experience is worthy of respect and validation.

With decades of experience as an artist and art teacher, Alyson values the transformative power of creativity, storytelling, and art, and she loves integrating art into the work that she does with couples and children. She has a deep sensitivity to the emotional needs of others, and enjoys working with siblings of new babies to help nurture their natural curiosity of childbirth.

Outside birth work, Alyson is a paper flower artist and painter, sharing and showing her work in a variety of ways. A self-proclaimed “kitchen witch,” she enjoys making herbal tea and baked goods in her kitchen. Alyson loves playing outside with her son Miles, laughing and relaxing with her wife Siobhan, and traveling to see her friends around the country. 

Katharine Combemale

she/her | birth, postpartum, childbirth education

Katharine has over a decade’s experience in birthwork. She first plunged into attending births at fifteen, working at the maternity ward in Kanad Hospital in Abu Dhabi. During her time in the UAE, she witnessed and assisted mothers, parents, families and caregivers through dozens of births both physiological (natural) and medically managed. It was an enormous privilege to walk with these families and learn from them.

She went on to get her BA from Carnegie Mellon University in Medieval & Renaissance Studies, a self-designed degree where she specialized in Christianity’s impact on traditional faiths, women and queer history, witchcraft and healers, and birth. While studying, Katharine worked at UPMC Shadyside’s leukemia ward as a unit coordinator, then later as lead administrator and patient care advocate to the chief of vascular surgery. She also served as the head of infant-2yo nursery care for her church, and began work in prenatal education, postpartum doula support, and psychological support for parents.

Katharine has worked with birth, with death, with loss and joy, with real people at real moments of walking between worlds. Her own health history has given her great respect for both holistic healing practices like herbs and whole-food nourishment, and for pharmaceutical and clinical medicine used with wisdom and care. She’s happiest at the bridge between the nerdy and the sacred.

Outside of work and study, you’ll find Katharine contra dancing and drinking tea, fermenting and cooking beautiful foods, singing with the Mendelssohn Choir or practicing opera. She enjoys life with her husband on an old farm in Moon Township. She will probably try to give you fresh rosemary & thyme.